1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of neck protection and, more particularly, the invention relates to devices that protect a person's head and neck while he or she engages in a variety of activities.
2. Background of the Invention
The human brain and spine are very vulnerable to injuries to the back of the head and particularly to the base of the skull. This is a most critical area for it is there that the spinal cord emerges from the brain. Injury to the spinal cord threatens every aspect of human physiology: control of respiration, heart rate, body temperature, consciousness, swallowing, vaso-constriction and dilation, and a myriad other autonomic nervous system functions. Concussions to the brain, and/or injury to the brain stem, cervical spine, and spinal cord may result in paralysis and even death.
The neck and the base of the human head are frequently injured in a variety of sports and other physical activities. Present practice is to provide the sports participant with a helmet designed to protect the top of a person's skull. However, helmets provide little protection to a person's neck (i.e., cervical spine) or base of the skull. Notable examples are helmets intended for hockey, bicycling, football, baseball, roller blading, car-racing, and canoeing.
Furthermore, many helmets on the market actually exacerbate injury to the neck, for example during severe whiplash or hyperextension situations. In such situations, the depending horizontally disposed ridge of the back of the helmet collides with the brain stem, causing injury or death.
There are several neck supports available. Many of these fail to provide protection to the critical area where the spinal cord meets the base of the skull. (See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,626 to Neel and U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,150 to Auracher). Others are intended to immobilize the head by the use of a rigid structure (U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,657 to Presta).
None of the above devices are intended to be potentially integrated with a head-protection system that includes a helmet.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,638,510 and 6,009,566 issued to Hubbard on Jan. 27, 1987 and Jan. 4, 2000 respectively, disclose a neck protection device for use with a race car. Known as the HANS device (acronym for Head And Neck Support), this instrument restricts forward motion of the skull in sudden, forward impact scenarios. As such, the device includes a restraining yoke which extends down the ventral torso of a seated driver. However, many drivers do not use the device because it compromises vision and range of motion.
A need exists in the art for a device to simultaneously protect the head and neck, and therefore the brain, brain stem, and the upper spinal cord, from injury. Such a device would be modular in that a portion of it protects the neck, with that portion removably attached to a head protection portion (such as a myriad of a sports helmets and/or helmet liners). The device would enable a wearer to walk, run, tumble, drive and cycle while maintaining complete mobility. Such a device also would not impede access to the trachea, ears, face and other areas so as to facilitate observation and treatment of these areas if an injury should occur.